REAL PEOPLE, REAL ISSUES

April 2011

April 25, 2011

OAKLAND -- The scene of a deadly rampage early Monday morning in a bar near Jack London Square was quiet by late afternoon, hours after a man armed with an assault rifle, perhaps hoping to rob people attending a Lil Wayne concert after-party at a club around the corner, opened fire inside the business, instantly killing two people and wounding four others.

A padlock on the entrance and faded evidence markings on the sidewalk outside the newly opened Sweet Jimmie's bar and restaurant on Broadway near Third Street were among the few signs of the violence. The incident erupted about 12:45 a.m. Monday as about a dozen family members and friends of the bar's owner were inside playing video games, said David Ward, the operator of Sweet Jimmie's.

Ward said that a group of men first tried to rob two men walking on Broadway before signaling to another robber in a nearby car. That man had an assault rifle and began firing. The two men who were being robbed ran inside Sweet Jimmie's, followed by the gunman.

Six people were shot, two fatally, and another was wounded by shrapnel. One of the dead was a 22-year old man who had been walking past the bar. The other was 27-year-old Billy Jenkins, an Oakland resident who had been inside playing games when the gunman entered and started firing, Ward said. The first victim's name was not released pending notification of relatives. Another 27-year-old man was in grave condition Monday evening. The other

victims range in age from 27 to 45 and are from other Bay Area cities. They are expected to recover.

Ward was subdued Monday as he spoke about the shooting. He said the establishment will stay closed until he's sure his family is OK.

Sweet Jimmie's is located in usually a safe area, where Sunday nights are typically slow, Ward said. The establishment's doors were open, Ward said, when he heard the shots and started walking toward the door -- that's when the gunman came in firing. Someone pushed him out of the way and he landed on the floor with four others trying to escape the bullets.

"I'm just glad it wasn't me," he said. "If that person hadn't pushed me out of the way, I'd be dead. There's probably an angel looking after me."

Oakland police Sgt. Tony Jones said the gunman "appeared to be firing indiscriminately," and police are trying to determine why.

Lil Wayne played a concert at the Oracle Arena earlier that evening. His record label held an after-party at Kimball's Carnival nightclub, around the corner from Sweet Jimmie's. Oakland police assigned extra security there because of the party and were the first to respond to the shooting at Sweet Jimmie's.

The gunman escaped in a car with at least three other men before police arrived. They drove southbound on Broadway in a newer-model white Dodge Avenger with stock rims.

Broadway between Third and Fourth streets was shut down for several hours to allow police and crime scene technicians to investigate.

While police were investigating the attack, a man who had just left Kimball's was shot in the leg. That shooting happened just after 2 a.m. in the 200 block of Clay Street. Police don't know the motive for that shooting and don't believe it was linked to the Broadway incident.

The two killings brought to 37 the number of homicide victims in the city this year. Last year at this time there had been 30 homicides.

Ward said he took over the bar and restaurant on Broadway about two months ago, but the new awning with the Sweet Jimmie's sign went up just last week. He said he rents the space but plans to buy it soon.

His father, Jimmie Ward, owned the popular Sweet Jimmie's nightclub and restaurant on San Pablo Avenue for many years. It closed in 2006, and the elder Ward died last year.

ABC has no record of any enforcement actions against the new business or of the name being changed in February.

An employee at a Nation's Giant Hamburgers next to Sweet Jimmie's said that with the exception of some panhandlers there has been "no violence like this" on the block.

Nation's usually closes at 1:15 a.m. but it closed immediately after the shooting, and police made employees wait inside for several hours before leaving.

There has been violence in and around Jack London Square in recent years.

In September, four men were wounded in a drive-by shooting outside the Home of Chicken N Waffles in the 400 block of Embarcadero West. They were among a group of people waiting to get into the restaurant about 2:40 a.m. None of the men was badly wounded, and no suspects have been arrested.

In November 2006, Mingles Nightclub in the 200 block of Embarcadero West closed after a pregnant woman was fatally shot outside the establishment. There had been several violent incidents near the club before that, including another killing in April 2006, and it was in danger of having its license suspended by the city. The site since has been demolished. SOURCE OAKLAND TRIBUNE

It would probably take a broken bone for Derrick Rose to miss a playoff game, so consider this good news for the Chicago Bulls: his sprained left ankle is just that — sprained.

Rose plans to suit up for Game 5 on Tuesday when the Bulls try again to close out their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.

“It’s getting better every day,” Rose said Monday. “I’ve been getting treatment on it the last couple of days, coming in in the morning, coming in at night, getting treatment. Hopefully, it’ll be ready tomorrow. It’s not broken so I’m definitely playing.”

Rose said the swelling had gone down, and although he said he planned to get a painkilling shot before the game, he was in flip-flops one day after wearing a walking boot.

He did sit out Monday’s practice, but the Bulls said a magnetic resonance imaging test confirmed there was no major structural damage.

Rose sprained his ankle driving to the basket late in the first quarter of Game 4 on Saturday and was not his usual dominant self as the Pacers beat Chicago, 89-84, to avoid a sweep. Rose finished with 15 points and 10 assists, but scored only 8 points and shot 3 for 16 after the injury.

“There’s no excuses when you’re still playing,” he said.

Rose said he was “just off.”

As for the ankle? He did not seem too concerned. “This one is minor, where it takes a couple of days and it’s fine,” he said. “If it was broken, I probably would be panicking.” CONTINUE READING...

A federal judge gave professional football players a significant victory Monday, granting an injunction to stop the N.F.L.’s six-week-long lockout. The league planned to file a brief late Monday asking United States District Judge Susan Richard Nelson to stay her decision so that it does not have to open for business immediately.

If the stay is not granted by Nelson or the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the N.F.L. will have to put rules in place that would allow players to return to work and free agency to open within days, creating a flurry of activity that would mimic the normal operations of an off-season. Teams would be allowed to hold workouts with players, and players to meet with trainers to rehabilitate injuries and coaches to study game film.

But if a stay is granted, the N.F.L. will remain dormant while owners appeal Nelson’s decision. That would probably keep the N.F.L. shut down until at least mid-June and perhaps into early July, about a month before teams usually open training camps.

The league said Monday night that it did not intend to restart business until it had the opportunity to seek the stay, meaning teams will not try to sign or trade players. A final decision on the stay is likely to take no more than several days.

Jim Quinn, who argued the players’ case before Nelson, said Monday night that teams were theoretically allowed to sign free agents now, but that players had to give the N.F.L. time to let the dust settle. If it takes too long to begin signing players without a stay in place, owners could be subject to collusion charges, he said.

Ryan Clark, the player representative for the Pittsburgh Steelers, said in a text message Monday night that he was advising his teammates to report for work at the Steelers’ facilities Tuesday. CONTINUE READING..

April 14, 2011

A Man, A Plan, A DeficitPresident Obama outlined his plan for tackling the national debt Wednesday, drawing on liberal values and proposing tax cuts for the rich.Read original story in New York Times | Thursday, April 14, 2011

FAA Ends Solo Air Traffic Night ShiftsAfter another incident of a controller nodding off, federal authorities now insist each night shift must be a sleepover with more than one controller at the party.Read original story in Washington Post | Thursday, April 14, 2011

States Seek to Ban Animal Farm ExposesUndercover photos and videos are a favored tool of animal advocates looking to reveal squalid conditions and inhumane practices. Some states want to make them illegal, because not all animals are equal.Read original story in New York Times | Thursday, April 14, 2011

Blogger Sues Huffington PostAriana Huffington is a "robber baron" who has made millions off the backs of unpaid bloggers, says one contributer who's filed suit against the site.Read original story in Los Angeles Times | Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Fukushima Is Japan's ChernobylJapan has now designated the disaster a 7 on the international scale, making it the only meltdown aside from Chernobyl to receive the worst rating for nuclear accidents.Read original story in AP | Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Ivory Coast Dictator Booted from BunkerAfter clinging to power from inside the presidential palace, Laurent Gbagbo was hauled from his subterranean hideout four months after he lost a democratic election.Read original story in Guardian | Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Welcome to the Race, RomneyMitt Romney has set up a presidential exploratory committee, meaning he's almost certain to vie for the Republican nomination. Oh, and there's a video.Read original story in | Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Gen. McChrystal Is BackAfter dismissing McChrystal following his Rolling Stone debacle, Obama has asked the former Afghanistan commander to lead a program for military families. Read original story in New York Times | Monday, April 11, 2011

April 11, 2011

Obama To Deliver Deficit-Reduction Speech WednesdaySenior adviser David Plouffe told the Sunday shows that the president will outline his plan to reduce federal budget deficits and debt, including a call for wealthier Americans to pay more taxes.Read original story in USA Today | Sunday, April 10, 2011

Qaddafi Agrees to Peace PlanLibya's leader has agreed to the African Union's proposed cease-fire and "dialogue." But rebels say they will accept nothing less than the despot's resignation.Read original story in Washington Post | Monday, April 11, 2011

Concern Grows Over Debt Ceiling VoteIf it was so difficult to reach a deal on a budget until September that cut $38 billion, many are growing worried about the possibility that a divided Washington won't be able to agree on raising the current $14.25 trillion federal debt ceiling.Read original story in The New York Times | Sunday, April 10, 2011

General McChrystal is BackAfter dismissing McChrystal following his Rolling Stone debacle, Obama has asked the former Afghanistan commander to lead a program for military families. Read original story in New York Times | Monday, April 11, 2011

U.N. Hammers Ivory Coast PresidentPresident Laurent Gbagbo is vying for the title of most tenacious dictator, which means the U.N. and France have started bombarding his forces again.Read original story in CNN | Monday, April 11, 2011

Unusual Device Led To Confusion in Synagogue BlastFirst, officials said it was a bomb, then they said it was an accident, and now it's a bomb again. Part of the issue had to do with the fact that the explosive was layered under hundreds of pounds of concrete, making it difficult to identify.Read original story in The Los Angeles Times | Sunday, April 10, 2011

Mubarak Denies he Was a Corrupt PresidentIn his first comments since he was ousted from the Egyptian presidency, Hosni Mubarak denied he had abused his power and vowed to cooperate in any investigation.Read original story in Al Jazeera | Sunday, April 10, 2011

Budget Dispute Drags onObama, Boehner, and Reid met for 90 minutes in the Oval Office on Wednesday, and say they are inching closer to a deal.Read original story in New York Times | Thursday, April 7, 2011

Fox Drops Glenn BeckDing-dong! The demagogic host announced his departure from Fox News Wednesday, but not before likening himself to Paul Revere.Read original story in Los Angeles Times | Thursday, April 7, 2011

Qaddafi to Obama: Be My Pen Pal?"Our dear son, Excellency, Baraka Hussein Abu oumama, your intervention is the name of the U.S.A. is a must," the Libyan dictator wrote in a letter.Read original story in AP | Thursday, April 7, 2011

Berlusconi to Bunga Bunga Another DayBoth the Italian Prime Minister and his alleged escort, "Ruby Heartstealer," skipped their first day in court. The trial will resume May 31.Read original story in NPR | Wednesday, April 6, 2011

September 2012

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